The Los Angeles Galaxy have completed arguably the biggest transaction in MLS history Thursday, signing midfielder David Beckham from Real Madrid. Beckham has agreed to a five-year deal with the Galaxy. He'll join the club during the summer transfer window after his contract with Real expires on June 30.
"This week, Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract by a further two seasons," Beckham said in a statement. "After discussing several options with my family and advisers to either stay here at Madrid or join other major British and European clubs, I have decided to join the Los Angeles Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year.
"I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world's most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own."
The move was made possible by the November implementation of the league's Designated Player rule, which states that a club may sign one player at a salary above the league maximum, with the league paying for the amount up to the maximum and the club picking up the rest.
"David Beckham is a global sports icon who will transcend the sport of soccer in America," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "His decision to continue his storied career in Major League Soccer is testament to the fact that America is rapidly becoming a true 'Soccer Nation' with Major League Soccer at the core. In the last few years, MLS has added three new teams, six new owners, four new soccer specific stadiums and signed four long term television agreements. The addition of David Beckham represents another significant step forward for the MLS and the sport."
Under new Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello, Beckham has seen his playing time decrease at the Bernabeu. This season, Beckham has started 10 of Real's 17 games and come off the bench in two more, playing a total of 601 minutes so far. He's scored twice, including once off a free kick, and he's provided one assist.
Perhaps the most well known soccer player in the world, Beckham is renowned for his superior crossing ability and masterful free kicks. His free kick strike against Greece in 2001 sent England to the 2002 World Cup Finals.
Though he has yet to appear for England under new national team boss Steve McClaren since the 2006 World Cup, Beckham has made 94 appearances for his country, good for fifth all-time on the squad. He made his debut for Glenn Hoddle in 1996, and served as captain from late 2000 through this past summer's World Cup.
The winger has scored a total of 17 goals on the national team level. Arguably the most important of them was his penalty kick goal against archrival Argentina in the opening round of the 2002 World Cup. The goal was the only one of the game, providing England with a 1-0 win to help soothe the pain of their shootout loss to the South Americans in the first knockout round in 1998. Beckham was sent off in that defeat.
At the club level, Beckham signed as a trainee with Manchester United in 1991 after playing in the Tottenham Hotspur youth system, and he made his senior debut with the Red Devils two years later. During a decade-long career with United, Beckham won six English Premiership titles, including in 1999, when the club won the storied "treble" by claiming the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League trophies in a single season. Beckham and Man United also captured the FA Cup in 1996. He scored a total of 86 goals with the club.
In 2003, Beckham was sold to Real Madrid for a staggering $41 million. He was part of Real president Florentino Pérez´s campaign to acquire a club of megastars, which also brought Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo to the Bernabeu. Despite their star-studded lineup, though, Real haven't been able to win a trophy since the 2002-03 campaign.
In addition to being a talent on the field, Beckham has proven to be a massive boon to the bottom line. When he signed with Real, sales of jerseys and other merchandise skyrocketed, helping Real to eventually overtake United as the richest club in the world.